A magazine-protecting, ambidextrous device for carrying a loaded spare magazine attached to a firearm buttstock in position for rapid removal and insertion into the firing position of the firearm. The loaded spare magazine is restrained within a well formed in the buttstock by a retractable latch pivotably mounted such that when the spare magazine is removed, the latch retracts below the exterior surface of the firearm buttstock, protecting the latch from damage and reducing the profile of the weapon. The spare magazine is carried in such a way as to protect the open end of the magazine and the ammunition carried therein from dirt and/or damage.
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1. A firearm providing integral spare magazine storage, comprising:
a buttstock having a well formed in a bottom surface thereof, for receiving the spare magazine horizontally disposed within the well; and a pivotable latch disposed within the well for engaging the spare magazine to releasably secure the spare magazine within the well.
10. A buttstock removably attachable to a firearm for providing integral spare magazine storage therein, comprising:
the buttstock defining a well in a bottom surface thereof, for receiving the spare magazine disposed horizontally within the well; and a pivotable latch disposed within the well for engaging the spare magazine to releasably retaining the spare magazine within the well.
2. The firearm of
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9. The firearm of
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The present invention claims the benefit of the provisional patent application filed on Apr. 27, 2002, assigned application No. 60/375,893 and entitled Ambidextrous Reserve Magazine Holder.
The present invention is directed generally to reserve magazine holders for a firearm, and specifically to an ambidextrous reserve ammunition magazine holder.
Many firearms use detachable ammunition cartridge magazines that can be quickly removed when empty and replaced with a full magazine. This is desirable not only to rapidly reload the firearm when the active magazine is depleted, but also to change to a different ammunition type by replacing the magazine cartridge as the target requires (armor piercing, tracer, etc). Although detachable magazine firearms are employed in a wide variety of applications, it is generally beneficial to minimize the time required to remove the empty magazine and replace it with the full magazine. Advantageously, certain firearms allow magazine replacement without releasing the grip of the firing hand, while the free hand simultaneously reaches for the replacement magazine. Ideally, the spare or reserve magazine should be readily available and easily inserted into the firearm.
Spare magazines can be carried in one or more pouches on the firearm operator's body, as is the practice of military personnel who carry these firearms full time as part of their mission. In other situations, such as police work or home defense, the firearm is stored in a secure location, the police cruiser for example, and retrieved only in emergency situations. However, during such emergency conditions, the need to grab both the firearm and a spare magazine significantly increases response time, and belting or slinging on a spare magazine carrier while holding and controlling a firearm is clumsy, time consuming, and possibly dangerous.
Firearms for use in law enforcement are often stored in close fitting, lockable weapons cases that lack sufficient space for bulky add-on magazines carriers or other firearm accessories. Home defense firearms are also stored in compact locations to avoid notice by the casual observer. Storage of spare magazines in such enclosures is not ideal and in some situations may not be practical.
Certain firearm designs provide for the storage of a spare magazine on the firearm. The advantages of a spare magazine carrier that is attached to the firearm, but does not increase that firearm bulk, are apparent. See for example the following patents issued to Johnson (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,484,404; 4,628,627 and 5,636,465) and Musgrave (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,100,694 and 4,115,943). In the Johnson and Musgrave patents, the spare magazine is carried in an add-on well affixed to the firearm, increasing the bulk of the firearm, even when the spare magazine is absent from the well. Note further that the magazine carrier add-on well disclosed by Johnson, and also utilized in commercial products, is positioned on one side of the firearm, limiting its utility for left handed shooters. Claridge (U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,613) discloses a spare magazine carried in a low profile orientation relative to the firearm, but removal of the magazine latch is a very slow and awkward process.
A firearm having a buttstock constructed according to the teachings of the present invention includes a well within the buttstock for storing a spare magazine. A rotatable latch affixed to opposing surfaces of the buttstock releasably holds the spare magazine within the well.
The foregoing and other features of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different figures. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention.
Before describing in detail the reserve ammunition magazine holder in accordance with the present invention, it should be observed that the present invention resides primarily in a novel combination of hardware elements related to a magazine holder. Accordingly, the hardware elements have been represented by conventional elements in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to the present invention, so as not to obscure the disclosure with structural details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
Solely for illustrative purposes,
The invention comprises a protective well 50 formed in the buttstock 34 for removably holding a spare magazine 52 for the firearm 10. A rotatable latch 54 restrains the spare magazine 52 within the well 50. The spare magazine 52 is positioned relative to the shooter such that either a left-handed or a right-handed shooter can conveniently and easily remove the spare magazine 50 for insertion into the magazine receiver 36. By disposing the spare magazine 52 longitudinally within the well 50 (i.e., the longitudinal axis of the spare magazine 52 is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the firearm 10), the weight of the spare magazine 52 is distributed along the buttstock 34, creating a firearm weight distribution that is easier for the shooter to manage, when compared with the prior art magazine storage techniques that result in a forward-heavy firearm. That is, in the prior art designs the weight of the spare magazine tends to impart a rotational torque about the firearm's longitudinal center of gravity, making the firearm clumsy to carry and requiring the shooter to exert an opposing force when aiming and shooting the firearm. Note that according to the teachings of the present invention, the protective well 50 encloses the upper portion of the spare magazine 52, protecting the spare magazine 52 from damage to its feed lips (not shown) from which the ammunition is injected into the firearm, and also protecting the ammunition carried within the spare magazine 52 from damage and dirt. Since the protective well 50 is formed within the firearm buttstock 34, there is no substantial change to the firearm profile or bulk when the spare magazine 52 is stored within the well 50 or absent from the well 50.
A biased latch 60, a generally L-shaped structure comprising an arm 62 and a tab 64 disposed at one end thereof, and pivotable about an axis 66, removably retains the spare magazine 52 in the protective well 50. See the
When stored within the protective well 50, the spare magazine 52 exerts an opening force against the latch 60, opposing the bias force exerted by the spiral spring 80 and retaining the spare magazine 52 within the well 50. Specifically, the forward-facing and bottom-facing ends of the spare magazine 52 are captured by the arm 62 and the tab 64. When the spare magazine 52 is removed, the bias force of the spring 80 retracts the latch 60 into the protective well 50. From
Operation
The spare magazine 52 is inserted into the protective well 50 by first rotating the latch 60 to the fully open position. The spare magazine 52 is then inserted, open end first, (i.e., the end from which the ammunition is discharged into the firearm 10) into the well 50, with the bottom surface of the magazine 52 facing in the direction of the barrel 12. The bottom surface is rotated upwardly and forward while the operator simultaneously exerts a force to slide the top surface back into the protective well 50. The operator continues this motion until the spare magazine 52 is sufficiently disposed within the protective well 50 to permit the latch 60 to engage the bottom corner of the spare magazine 52, removably securing the spare magazine 52 within the well 50.
When the shooter wishes to change from the primary magazine 38 to the spare magazine 52, he depress the magazine release button 40 with the first finger of his shooting hand, releasing the primary magazine 38 from the magazine well 36 of the firearm 10.
The process of removing a spare magazine 52 from the firearm 10 is illustrated in a series of operational illustrations in
An apparatus has been described as useful for storing a spare ammunition magazine for a firearm. While specific applications and examples of the invention have been illustrated and discussed, the principals disclosed herein provide a basis for practicing the invention in a variety of ways and in a variety of firearm. Numerous variations are possible within the scope of the invention. The invention is limited only by the claims that follow.
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